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Practical Fire/Arson Scene Search and Evidence Recovery

Length of Seminar: 2 Days
Instructor: Steve Riggs

Course Overview:
The scene of any fire itself is evidence, and the testimony of a trained Fire Investigator, Law Enforcement Officer, D.A. Prosecutor, Insurance Investigator, or Private Investigator concerning observation and findings at an unchanged fire scene is vitally important to the successful clearance of the case. Improper protection of the fire scene will usually result in the contamination, loss, or unnecessary movement of physical evidence.

The First Law Enforcement Officer or Firefighter to arrive at the scene of the fire automatically incurs the serious and critical responsibility of securing the fire scene and must take precautions to protect its remains unchanged. Physical Evidence in and about the fire scene is highly fragile in the sense that the elements, time, inadvertent movement, improper handling and packaging, and numerous other influences can reduce or destroy its evidentiary value. The Legal and Scientific Standards concerning the collection and processing of physical evidence are rigid. Thus, mistakes can easily be made in processing the crime scene; however, the more important fact is that mistakes can be easily avoided if sound procedures are followed.

The proper means of processing a fire scene, photographing, marking, tagging and packaging evidence and transporting it requires specialized training. However, this is of a nature that is within every investigators ability to acquire. What is required, in addition to procedural knowledge is an appreciation of what could potentially be evidence, and what types of information the investigator might obtain from different physical material.

A competent search of a fire scene demands an understanding of basic procedures, and appreciation of the “Why” of certain actions, and close attention to detail in carrying them out.

This training deals with the considerations, guidelines, and procedures that will help avoid an oversight, insure thoroughness of the search, and to comply with both legal and scientific requirements that always bear on the use of physical evidence.

The Purpose Of This Course:
The purpose of this course of training is to provide Fire Investigators, Law Enforcement Officers, Insurance Investigators, and D.A. Prosecutors with an in-depth course on Fire Scene Investigation and Evidence Collection Procedures.

Note:
A portion of this class involves hands-on activities. Time will actually be devoted to the identifying, marking, collecting, and packaging evidence. The use of different containers will be involved, as well as, the use of collection tools, the cleaning of these tools, as not to contaminate the evidence.

Tactics, Techniques and Procedures used in Processing the Fire/Arson Crime Scene and Collection of Evidence.

• Securing and Protecting The Scene
• Search Warrants
• Processing The Fire Scene
• Evidence Collection Methods
• Documenting The Fire Scene